Translator: CinderTL
"Billions of light-years from here," the figure murmured. "It will likely take some time to reach."
Rumble...
The colossal figure slowly rose, his form expanding. Already immense, his body rapidly swelled to an utterly absurd scale.
In the blink of an eye,
The colossal figure transformed into a giant as vast as a star, each hair on its body the size of a planet, its majesty reaching the pinnacle of grandeur.
Whoosh!
With a single stride, it traversed countless billions of kilometers, becoming a streak of flowing light hurtling into the depths of the cosmos.
Time flowed onward.
As the Great Stellar War approached, the transcendent families and ten great schools grew increasingly tranquil.
Everyone was making their final preparations for the impending conflict.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
December 1, 2328, at noon.
As the midday bells chimed:
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Throughout the Blue Star Federation's forty provinces, a series of bells suddenly rang out, their resonant tones echoing like the horns of war.
At that moment, from the transcendent families to the humblest alleyways, everyone who heard the bells understood one thing:
The most anticipated event on the planet had begun!
"It's the Interstellar War Bell!"
"The Great Stellar War is starting!"
"Quick, turn on the live projection! I want to watch the Great Stellar War!"
"Forget the livestream! I bought a ticket to the arena this time. I'm going to watch the Great Stellar War live!"
"Look! The first participants are already setting off!" Countless voices buzzed across the virtual network, eagerly awaiting the start of the livestream.
The Great Stellar War, the Blue Star Federation's most prestigious competition, was about to begin.
Not only would tens of thousands of top-tier geniuses compete, but major virtual network streaming platforms, the Federation Virtual Channel, and numerous other channels would broadcast the entire event live.
When the time came, billions of viewers would tune in to witness this unprecedented clash of titans.
Across Donghai Province, colossal projections materialized above major cities, displaying scenes from the Great Stellar War.
"Quick, the livestream's up!"
"Where is this? It looks different from previous Great Stellar Wars."
"Intriguing! This year's Great Stellar War seems to have some new twists!"
Under the gaze of countless viewers, the projection screen revealed a vast, boundless realm. An ancient, primordial aura emanated from the screen, permeating the virtual space.
Just then, with a whoosh, the screen shifted to reveal a burly man in black standing at its center.
"Greetings, everyone," he announced in a booming voice. "I am the host of this year's Great Stellar War. The tournament will be held within the Civilization Ruins. Tens of thousands of participants will enter the ruins to compete for the top rankings."
As the host's introduction concluded, the audience erupted in uproar.
"What?! They're holding the tournament in a secret realm? Did I just waste my money on a live ticket?!"
"So what? I bought a live ticket too."
"Going to the venue just means watching the livestream. You can't actually enter the secret realm, can you?"
"I can't, but my brother can!"
"What?! Your brother's a participant? Master, please accept my humble bow!"
As the Great Stellar War commenced, the livestream's viewership soared.
Massive waves of viewers flooded in.
One million.
Three million.
Five million.
Ten million.
In a matter of moments, the livestream had attracted over one hundred million viewers.
Fortunately, this world's virtual network technology was incredibly advanced, capable of accommodating tens of billions of users simultaneously without the slightest lag.
As the crowd swelled, a bombshell topic began to spread like wildfire:
"Remember half a year ago, when someone challenged Zhou Xingkong of the transcendent family?"
"You mean Jiang Ye, right?"
"He's been completely silent for the past six months."
"Ha! Just treat it as entertainment. Did Jiang Ye really think he could challenge Zhou Xingkong? That's Transcendent Aptitude we're talking about!"
"I heard Jiang Ye only has Primitive Aptitude. Where did he get the nerve to challenge a transcendent?"
"Probably just a publicity stunt. These people will do anything for attention, even throw away their dignity."
"Jiang Ye may have Primitive Aptitude, but he's also the champion of the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup! Can any of you achieve that?"
"Exactly!"
"If you were threatened by Transcendent Aptitude, you'd probably be too scared to even speak up. Yet here you are, kicking someone when they're down."
"Disgusting!"
"..."
The moment the topic of Jiang Ye's challenge to Zhou Xingkong resurfaced, it instantly ignited the entire livestream.
In truth, this matter, originally known only among geniuses, had remained largely unknown to the general public.
But now, fueled by the livestream's popularity, over ten million people were following the topic, and the numbers were still skyrocketing.
In the blink of an eye, the topic's popularity surged to terrifying levels.
Soon, identical headlines began dominating the trending searches across all major news platforms:
Primitive Aptitude Jiang Ye Challenges Transcendent Aptitude Zhou Xingkong!
Great Stellar War! Humble Scholar Jiang Ye Challenges Top-Tier Transcendent Prodigy—Who Will Have the Last Laugh?
Primitive Aptitude vs. Transcendent Aptitude: Arrogance or Confidence?
Shocking! The Untold Secrets Between Jiang Ye and Zhou Xingkong
Aboard the aircraft en route to the competition, Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu sat in their respective cabins, both with their eyes closed in quiet cultivation.
Suddenly, Qiu Cang's voice rang out: "Jiang Ye! Quick, check the news! Your story has gone viral again!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ye opened his eyes, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.
"Gone viral again?"
He immediately activated the projection on his smart wristband and opened the news page.
"Back on the trending topics again?" Jiang Ye murmured, glancing at the headlines with a wry smile.
"Your rivalry with Zhou Xingkong is bound to attract attention," Qiu Cang chuckled, shaking his head.
Primitive Aptitude and Transcendent Aptitude—the mere juxtaposition of these terms was inherently captivating.
"So many people think I'm just hyping myself up?" Jiang Ye scanned the comments, his expression momentarily surprised.
"That's natural," Qiu Cang replied with a smile. "For the past six months, you've either been training in the Star Realm Sea or secluded in solitary cultivation. Plus, Alliance Leader Qi Tian has blocked all information about you. The public has no way to know what you've been up to."
"Naturally, they'd assume you've vanished."
Jiang Ye nodded slightly.
He had indeed maintained a low profile for the past half-year, not participating in any tournaments.
"Good," Jiang Ye's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "Let the Great Stellar War serve as the proving ground for my six months of rigorous training."
As for the rumors and gossip? Jiang Ye had never cared about them.
In the pursuit of the martial dao, one need not concern oneself with the opinions of others.
Moreover, these trending topics might not be a bad thing for Jiang Ye.
The more people who knew about this, the greater the recognition he would receive after defeating Zhou Xingkong.
By then, the benefits Jiang Ye could gain would be even greater.
Just as Jiang Ye was pondering this, Qiu Cang spoke, looking down: "We've arrived."
Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu both looked up.
They had finally reached the location of this year's Great Stellar War!
(End of the Chapter)
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